Chelsea stalwarts Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole will be allowed to leave
Stamford Bridge on free transfers when their contracts come to an end next
summer, Rafael Benítez admitted on Friday.

Midfielder Lampard, 34, is the third-highest goalscorer in Chelsea history and during his 11 years at the club has won a European Cup, three Premier League titles and four FA Cups.

Left-back Cole, 31, signed from Arsenal in 2006, has won two fewer Premier League titles. Asked if the pair were on their way out, Benítez said: “I think so, that is the case at the moment.”

Lampard has been repeatedly linked with moves to LA Galaxy and the Chinese club Guizhou Renhe.

Cole, meanwhile, has been targeted by big-spending Paris Saint-Germain, whose manager, Carlo Ancelotti, worked with the full back during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Benítez takes charge of Chelsea for the first time on Sunday with a big decision to make over whether to restore striker Fernando Torres to the starting line-up against Premier League leader Manchester City.